Stuntman Postpones Flight Through Downtown After FAA Warning

ST. LOUIS (KMOX/AP) – A stuntman’s plans to soar through downtown St. Louis Friday night have been cancelled after they no longer had the blessing of the Federal Aviation Administration.

Alexander Polli, a 28-year-old Italian-Norwegian, planned to jump from a plane at 4,000 feet near Busch Stadium at 6 p.m. Friday, about an hour before the Cardinals host the Atlanta Braves. He was expecting to wear a wingsuit, an aerodynamic jumpsuit that makes the wearer look like a winged superhero and soar for long distances before opening a parachute.

A spokesperson for SceneTap, the sponsor of the flight, said early Friday afternoon that the flight had been postponed, shortly after the FAA said it didn’t approve of the stunt.

“The wingsuit flyer, who has announced he plans to jump near tonight’s Cardinals game, does not have approval from the FAA and other local entities for tonight’s event,” FAA spokeswoman Elizabeth Isham Cory said in an email.

“The FAA has contacted the pilot scheduled to fly the plane for this jump, and that pilot is aware that the FAA has denied the authorization,” she added. The FAA deferred all calls to the intelligence division of the St. Louis Police Department.

Polli had previously agreed not to fly near the Arch but his spokeswoman told the Associated Press Thursday that he had received the FAA’s approval for the flight.

“It is out concern that other pilots may come to the area, thinking this jump has been authorized by the FAA when it has not,” Cory said.